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Essay On Greenhouse Gases

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Modern Climate Change According to Karl and Trenberth (2003), earth is habitable largely due to its relative location to the sun, and its natural greenhouse effect on the atmosphere. Various gases found within the atmosphere contribute to a greenhouse effect including: water vapour contributing about ~60%, carbon dioxide at ~25%, ~8% from the ozone and the rest from traces of other gases including methane and nitrous oxide. On average, solar energy achieved at the top of the planet’s atmosphere is ~175 petawatt (an equivalent to 1015 watts) with about 31% reflected by clouds from the surface. The rest of the energy is absorbed by the atmosphere, land, and ocean, ultimately emitted back as infrared radiation. …show more content…

However, impacts on the natural environment, human health, and lastly the economics are the most visible and documented. The Government of Canada suggests that the environmental impacts of GHG emissions are once again, the increase in overall average annual temperatures. As a result, a decrease in snow, sea ice, and glacier coverage, resulting in rising sea levels and an increase in coastal flooding. Rising temperature have also brought upon an increase in the risks of heat waves and forest fires. Human health impacts include a rater risk of respiratory and cardiovascular problems as a result of air pollution. Pollution in the waters leads to risks of water-, food-, and rodent-borne diseases, which ultimately lead to economic impacts such as the rising economic stress on health and social support systems needed to treat the increase in diseases. In addition, economies dependent on agriculture, forestry, and even tourism may be affected by the changing weather patterns (Canada, n.d.) It is also logically agreed upon that as human population and activity increases, so should emissions levels. However, this idea has been challenged by the implementation of policies aimed at reducing emissions and regulating emissions standards for industries.
Emissions Mitigation Through Federal Policy Development The general consensus and aim for policy development regarding GHG emissions mitigation

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